A state lawmaker says he has discovered an "unfortunate gap" in law that doesn't make it illegal to breed or kill dogs and cats or sell or process the meat from dogs and cats for human consumption in Pennsylvania.

View full sizeLegislation would make it illegal to breed, raise, kill and process or sell the meat from dogs and cats for the purpose of human consumption.

Rep. John Maher, R-Allegheny, has introduced a bill that he hopes will address this problem that has cropped up in urban areas involving home slaughterhouses and butcher shops.

The bill won approval of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee on Wednesday with no opposition and now is positioned for a vote by the full House.

Maher said food safety laws make it illegal for this activity to be occurring in home slaughterhouses, but there is no law restricting this activity in butcher shops.

As a result, Maher said, “if a butcher is adhering to food and safety law, Mr. Whiskers and Lassie can be on the hook.”

Maher said he has heard comments from some animal shelters and animal cruelty organziations about the need to strengthen the law in these areas to create police paper trail to document where reports of this activity is occurring.

Maher’s bill would make the first offense of killing a dog or cat, processing dog or cat meat, and breeding or selling dogs or cats, all for the purpose of human consumption, punishable by up to a $10,000 fine and maximum five-year prison sentence.

The penalties would rise to up to $15,000 and maximum seven years’ imprisonment for a subsequent offense.

Attempts to reach animal shelters for comments about this proposal were unsuccessful at press time. But apparently, a pack of lawmakers agree there is a need for such a law as evidenced by the 35 bi-partisan co-sponsors it has drawn.

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